So Let's Go - An Evening with Alan Doyle

So Let's Go - Alan Doyle

So Let's Go is the new CD release from Great Big Sea former frontman and founder Alan Doyle. Alan Thomas Doyle! 

By coincidence, "Let's go" was the first full sentence my baby girl uttered some 26 years ago. And being Mothers' Day it all seems to be falling together that I write today. When you can't spend the day with your children on Mothers Day the next best thing for me is to spend the day with music. Wait that's every day...lol!

Alan Doyle and I at his book launch in Dartmouth Oct 2014

I bought my tickets for Alan Doyle back in November of last year when they first went on sale. Up early with the alarm set I was clicking furiously to nab a couple of good seats. I had no idea who the other ticket was for but the show was 6 months away. There was lots of time to decide and the person who joined me was a great pick for she has the love of music like I. We have shared a lot of musical experiences, with more on the horizon. 

A personally signed book for me

It was birthday last November when a friend told me that Alan Doyle would be at a book signing in the area if I was interested in going. My son (God bless his soul) sent me early birthday money so that I could buy his memoir and get it signed. What a thrill that turned out to be! We got to hear Alan reading from his book and I'm tell you that his voice and accent was so captivating that when I read the book for myself I could hear his voice in the back of my mind. 

Where I Belong is a fabulous read. One of those books, I couldn't put down. Alan Doyle and I grew up in the same era but with lives as different as night and day. All right I admit that he is younger than I am. But growing up in Petty Harbour, as he did, was nothing like my existence with indoor plumbing in the bustling metropolis (in comparison) of Thunder Bay. It's funny how no matter what we think about it as adults, home is home. There is always an attachment to this place where your life began. I recommend picking up Alan Doyles book for a light summer read and some personal reflection on growing up in a small fishing village in Newfoundland. The man and the music were born there. I should note that this is not a memoir of the band Great Big Sea. The story ends before the musical wave of GBS broke.

Great Big Sea burst onto the mainstream musical scene in 1995 with the release of Run Runaway from the album Up. Their first album which was self-titled and self-produced was released in 1992 and included several traditional folk songs as well as original compositions and although it produced no chart topping hits at the time it did lead to a recording contract with Warner Brothers Canada. The climb to the top was not a gentle slope however and included extensive touring about the land which could include up to 300 days a year. Two decades later and 10 full-length releases among other projects and the band is now on hiatus. I missed my chance to see the whole band, but I have seen 2 of the founding members solo performances.

I was a fan from my first experience with the lively, move your body to the music and sing along style of Up. I was drawn to the East Coast traditional folk music that spoke of water, sailing and fishing...and rum! :) Alan Doyle has a voice that I wish I could hear whispering sweet nothings in my ear and when he speaks with that devil may care spirit and Newfoundland accent...it's all there.

And that is how the Friday night show at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium started. Alan walked onto the stage alone, carrying a red Solo cup, he approached the microphone and began to talk to the assembled masses like he was welcoming us to his home. He then broke into song. Just him, no instruments but that velvety smooth voice with the long hair framing his face and that ready smile. You feel the passion in the words. You are drawn into his world as you, too, Dream of Home. 

The Beautiful Gypsies were the back up band that soon joined Alan on stage and what an amazing assemblage of musicians. Cory Tetford on guitar is a name I am familiar with because of his association with the band Crush and his other stints with Barney Bentall and other musicians. And a beautiful smile and ready wave to an eager audience member! ;) Kendel Carson is a very talented fiddler and singer who was a part of the Paperboys, and Belle Star. I was mesmerised watching her, worried that her long blonde locks would get tangled in the bow or the strings. The hair was flying, the feet were tapping, there was energy in her performance. Kris Macfarlane took the sticks to the skins as he had done for many years with Great Big Sea. He has spent more time looking at my backside than anyone else, quipped Doyle. Plucking the string on the bass is Shehab Illyas a multi-talented filmaker, composer, photographer and musician from Halifax. And finally there was Todd Lumley who alternated between the horizontal keys on the keyboard and the vertical ones on the accordion. Todd Lumley was a member of the Canadian alternative rock band The Waltons (1987-2001) and also Hawksley Workmen. 

The Waltons along with 54-40 and Spirit of the West are sadly severely underrated Canadian bands. Love them! Always and forever. 

The show which marked the final stop on a North American tour celebrating his second solo album, was high energy and interspersed with thoughtful ballads. And fair warning future audience members, Alan does not like to be the only one in the house rocking it out! But with so much of the music being top-tapping infectious you can't help but want to join in the dance. So when Alan like a preacher raises his arms for his flock to stand, they do...nay they jump up ready to dance! The set list was planned perfectly for a great mix of audience participation and always beautiful music. 

Young and old and everything in between, couples, partners, friends and groups. The full house was stomping and clapping, hands in the air, singing along. But it wasn't just fans in the audience, in Halifax (his home away from home on the mainland) Alan's friends and family joined him. Yes, the "fairest in the land" was in attendance. How proud she must be watching her hubby on stage. And jealous listening to all the "I love you's" screamed at him? Could've been me? 

In a recent newspaper article (Metro News) Alan was quoted as saying, "I loved all my time playing music in those rooms (referring to smaller area pubs like The Lower Deck) and I always thought it was a really beautiful thing to be the powerhouse of an Atlantic Canadian pub." He still is and has that power, but now his pub is a little bit bigger. His fans are greater in number and the love fest shows no signs of slowing. Thankfully!  

Taking no hiatus, Alan will soon be on the road once again, supporting The Barenaked Ladies. But before that look for him at Music Festivals happening near you. Thunder Bay, I'm jealous.

On a personal note, I want to thank my best musical friend, who has given me the courage to pursue my musical passion as a solo listener, a duet or with a band of merry followers. Thanks Debra. I am grateful.

*As always, please do not steal my words or pictures. Thank you. 

The drum kit with that iconic self-portrait Alan draws :)

Alan Doyle come out with his red solo cup to greet the audience and wow them with a solo performance.

L-R: Todd Lumley, Kris MacFarlane, Cory Tetford, Shehab Illyas, Alan Doyle, Kendal Carson

Getting the crowd going

A pause for a beverage and a chat :)

Singing with passion

I was able to get a guitar pic, set list and venue poster! :)
Now I must persue some signage...

Alan Doyle
http://alandoyle.ca/
Cory Tetford
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crush_(Canadian_band)
Barney Bentall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Bentall
The Paperboys
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paperboys
The Waltons
http://jam.canoe.com/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/W/Waltons.html
Hawksley Workmen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawksley_Workman
Kris MacFarlane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris_MacFarlane
Shehab Illyas
http://www.shehabillyas.com/
The Waltons
http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/wal/bio.asp
54-40
http://www.5440.com/
Spirit of the West
http://sotw.ca/
Halifax, Metro News
http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/

Marching Into April - No Joke!

End of the World - Great Big Sea

On Saturday March 29th we commemorated another Earth Hour. From 8:30-9:30 local time, we shut off lights in an attempt to help the planet breath a sigh of relief. In 2007, a movement was started in Sydney, Australia to bring awareness to the ever growing concern of Global Warming. And please understand that Global Warming means way more than just the temperature of the earth going up. Believe it or not rising temperatures is the reason we have more intense weather patterns and more snow. Yes even more snow is because of warming temperatures on earth. 

Quickie refresher of high school science. Moisture is collected from the surface of the earth by evaporation. Collecting in clouds and then falling as precipitation. Rain or snow depending on the season. An increase in the sun power will cause an increase in the amount of evaporation. And it has to fall in the form of rain or snow or a combination of.  

And yet, every time that an uncharacteristic cold snap or snow fall occurs people jump on the "So where is the Global Warming Now" band wagon. It frustrates me, partly because these are fairly intelligent people and partly because there is even one person who considers this mentality as valid. Where is Global Warming when we find ourselves bracing for yet another Snow-pocalypse? It is right outside your frost covered thermal paned window. It is the intensity and instability of the weather patterns we once thought were normal. Global Warming caused Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The frequency and intensity of naturally occurring storms is multiplying at alarming rates. Hurricane Juan hit Nova Scotia in September 2003. The province was barely recovered from the that slap by Mother Nature when she let White Juan loose in February 2004. White Juan left behind 95.5 cm of snow in Halifax in one 24 hour period. That's 37+ inches. More than the yard stick that decorated the blackboard ledge in school. Three feet! Half the average persons height! 

But even that was several years ago now. What amazes me more than that storm is the fact that although wind gusts of 124 km/hr were reported, I can recall at least 4 days this past season that wind gusts reached or exceeded 100 km/hr. Almost seems norm now. Batten down the hatches indeed!  

Have we gotten used to bundling up and grumbling? How about this comic relief for you. In 1999, the city of Toronto (no stranger to snow) called in the Canadian Army to help it dig out when 27 cm of snow fell. That's right 27 cm. Seems a little over the top all things considered including that there was already significant snow on the ground - nothing new really. Sometimes it is not the amount of snow but the speed in which it falls that have some of us with the shovel at the ready feeling over-whelmed. Where do you put it all? Check out this link for some remarkable, record setting storms that have hit the Winter Wonderland known as Canada. 

I don't mind snow and despite all the dire warnings that had us shivering in our boots in fear more than cold, I think that here (at least) it was a fairly mild winter. A snowfall/blizzard would close schools and snarl traffic for a day and my friends would hear the doomsday predictions and send message to prepare and stay safe and warm. Snow would fall, clogging streets and usually blowing to make things barely visible past the edge of the balcony. Two days later we would be in plus zero temperatures and everything would be melting away. Only one day did I turn back from a walk because the wind chill was freezing my eyes. And there were a few days in January where just a light jacket if anything was required.

I get winter. I grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario. School wasn't cancelled, you walked. There was a lot of activities that you could participate in and enjoy more with the falling of snow. Snowmobiling, skiing, tobogganing, making ice forts, ice mountains to slide down (skeleton without the sled and helmet). Everybody had several pairs of mittens and long johns and Nipigon nylons. You wouldn't think about going out without being properly dressed for the conditions. We embraced winter and all it had to offer.

It is increasingly hard to do that when ski hills are closing because the seasons unpredictability just couldn't support them as viable businesses. Neither could the economy where people didn't have the exorbitant costs to involve entire families in sport. Plus electronics and modern conveniences mean there isn't a lot of need to venture out. So we don't. It's easier to curse under our frozen breaths then to go out and enjoy the cloud that landed on earth. I spoke to someone from Iceland recently who suggested that we were all wimps here. Life didn't stop for a few snowflakes. Chains were put on tires and schools and businesses stayed open. Just another day with more solid precipitation. 

The winter of this generation sucks. Cold is one thing, wind chill is another. You can dress for and play in 3 feet of snow. Wind chill and freezing rain gets right to you bones and crystallizes your blood. When it's a real winter, it's cold and you can dress for it. When you have a thaw mid season, you pine for the heat as if the season ended, then Mother Nature's fury hits again. It's miserable to walk in slush that soaks your socks and the ice that has come with the freeze the next day. Ain't no boot that is waterproof enough for that or provides the grip for ice rinks. That's why we skate :)

Several days after the ice on-slaught,
these branches well exposed to sunlight
are still thickly coated in the Greater Toronto Area. 

A pre-Christmas ice storm paralyzed a large part of Southern Ontario and a vast number of people were stranded at airports and train stations and 400,000 were without power. Some for nearly a week in the dead of winter with turkeys ready to be stuffed into an oven to feed masses. In the age of cell-phones and internet the Twitter-verse was awash with requests to report downed lines and emergencies online. Easier said then done when a) you can't read the Twits with limited battery life on said phone or b) no power at all to charge the cellphone or the cordless, desktop or tablet. And those people will pay for the inconvenience. Granted they didn't have to pay for the hydro they didn't use but they will pay for the clean-up and repair costs with skyrocketing bills from here on in. Say what? :( 

Memories are short and people like to remember the winter of 2009-10 because it was the winter that wasn't. We got used to not having a real winter. When it came back this year, we had been lulled into a sense of complacency and we weren't ready for the severity. I don't think that it helps when weather forecasters and the media hype up a bit of a snowfall by using words like Snow-mageddon, Snow-pocalypse, Snow-icane or Weather Bomb. Oh wait, so accustomed we have become to the hype and panic started by the media meteorologists that when I heard of the Weather Bomb on it's way, I assumed it was more of the same. That one though, is a legitimate phenomenon and can occur with snow or rainfall. Another new weather phrase that we added to our daily lexicon this year is Polar Vortex. The Polar Vortex of 2014 swept central Canada and held it in its icy grips with fingers that reached far into the southern states that didn't know how to deal with the flurries that ultimately caused traffic and travel nightmares and general chaos. So remarkably cold was this winter that a contest was held to determine the worst in the country. The link has some great graphics, information and reveals the winner. Spoiler alert it is Winnipeg also know as Winterpeg!

One day in the winter of 2013-2014 there were weather
warnings posted across the county - simultaneously!

Newfoundland had some houses that had been buried to the eaves with snow. Nova Scotia had the roof blown off buildings and one completely flipped over. Prince Edward Island became the worlds biggest snow fort. New Brunswick-ers still wander with snow shovels in their hands at the ready for the next dump. Quebec and Ontario dealt with far below average temperatures with wind chills added that froze them solid and in southern Ontario, everything that stood still or blew in the wind was covered with inch thick ice. Manitoba and Saskatchewan had snow falls and wind chills that they still haven't thawed out from. Alberta has had a rough year all around and the massive snowfalls just added to the clean up still not complete from the summer floods. British Columbia had colder than expected temperatures as well. Good to live on the coasts of the country this winter for sure. Even the northern territories were spared the frigid temps of central Canada. I chuckled when I saw cities in the north warmer that Toronto, Ontario. Rob Ford and all his hot air couldn't stop the cold shoulder. 

So all you naysayers who poo-poo Global Warming, just remember that Mother Nature is fictitious, the February scapegoat (groundhog) is just a rodent and the seasons will continue to change and worsen. Autumn extends into winter, winter is still hear and we call it spring. Summer starts later and goes past the traditional fall season. Mud-slides that shouldn't be will, tornadoes will be more frequent and stronger. Winter wear and tools will be needed in the southern states, and we will soon need SPF 100 in the sun. It wasn't that long ago that you could go outside and play all day in the sun with no sunscreen and not get burnt. Now 10 minutes max and your fried. 

I was disappointed with the lackluster attitude towards Earth Hour this year. I did my part, but what we really need is a collective attitude adjustment. A lifestyle change. It has always been an important issue for the me (the wasteful abuse of the planet and its resources), so I made a lifestyle choice. Lights were rarely left on in unoccupied rooms when my kids were little, because I chose to teach them to shut them off. It's a habit that we can learn. They did. I won't suggest we were perfect but we tried. It's a start. 

credit where credit is due:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/4-facts-about-earth-hour-1.1331421
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Juan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Juan
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/blasts-from-the-past-canada-s-worst-snowstorms-1.1370387
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12/22/canada-ice-storm-travel-chaos-power-outages-as-massive-storm-hits-ontario-quebec-and-maritimes/
http://globalnews.ca/news/1208476/who-had-the-worst-winter-in-canada/
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/geekquinox/winter-2013-2014-report-card-did-grade-canada-172923296.html

Mixing Melody With a Memory

Drinking Games - Library Voices

"There she goes again 
mixing melody with a memory
She's got a song for everything, 
everywhere she's been, everyone she's pleased..."

Ahh music. My life and my passion. I have a memory, because I have a song. If you want me to remember something for life, put it to music. One boy from elementary school, every time I hear a particular song, I think of him. And I haven't seen or heard from him in 35 years, he wasn't a first love or anything else memorable except the song. I have songs in my head that I associate with people, places and events. Some good, some bad, some happy, some sad. But none forgotten if the right song plays. 


Sometimes, it is the melody and music or the voice that draws me to a song, but more often than not, it is the lyrics. However, that being said: when it comes to a song that is associated with an event it is often neither, but rather just circumstance that welds music and memory as one. But somehow, upon reflection that song adds meaning to the event. Ironically as much as music is important to me and my life, I do not consider myself a musician despite more than 8 years of classical piano training. I would like to be able to play guitar - so I could play some Blue Rodeo tunes :) But other than that, I don't have a real desire to make music...just enjoy it. Music is always playing in my life. Right now, I am being serenaded via iTunes on the computer and if I wander upstairs the radio is playing something quite different. I am more comfortable with the serenading sounds in the background. While the girl tolerates it, it drives the boy nuts when I watch TV with the music playing in the background. My version of multi-tasking :)


My earliest happy memories involve music. Family gatherings when the records from the old country would be put on and everyone would sing to the traditional songs of Italy. The words and music so beautiful and sung with such passion that I was homesick for a place I had never been to. Years later, relatives would ask to be taught the traditional folk songs of Canada and I could think of none except for the songs that originate on the East Coast that speak of the life of a fisherman on the waters of the Atlantic. And that brings me back to one of my most vivid and clear memories as a child of about 6 years of age. My Mom was sitting on the chesterfield and the four of us children were gathered around, learning to sing "Farewell to Nova Scotia". Many years later I would find myself wondering about this, it was an odd selection of music to teach children from Ontario who barely knew the existence of a place called Nova Scotia. I will never know for sure, but I do know that I cherish the memory and I still love the song. Music was important to Mom and she shared her love with us. Across the genres and generations, we heard it all and learned to appreciate it. In fact the earliest birthday gift I remember getting was a portable radio which I still have. While others may have snuggled a teddy bear to go to sleep, I cradled my radio and searched for signals from far away places. 


While there was nothing quite like picking up WLS from Chicago in the dead of the night, it could never quite match the pleasure that came from listening to the truly under-rated Canadian band. While others may have grumbled, when in 1971 the CRTC mandated that radio stations must play 25% of music by Canadian artists, I applauded the initiative. Without it, we may have never learned to appreciate Blue Rodeo, Corey Hart, The Stampeders and the countless other bands that did not want to lose their citizenship to break into the mighty US market. There is something about Canadian music that I find very appealing and recognizable. I have never been able to pinpoint why exactly, but I have often wagered on my belief that a new artist is indeed from the Great White North. And won! With just the expertise of a layperson who likes to listen, I would suggest that it is a depth in the content and lyrics, as well as a sound that is unique in some way, not cookie cutter produced for the masses fare. Consider for a moment rap: when the genre burst onto the mainstream scene, it was quickly followed by dozens of acts all jumping on the money making craze. Bands and artists are not discovered, they are created in the music studio. One artist sounds like the next and for the average person, difficult to differentiate. Not to belittle the genre of music, as I am a fan of Eminem - mostly because he is unique and thought provoking. The music companies want to make money and will go to extraordinary lengths to do so, as evidenced in the formation of the Spice Girls from newspaper ads and Millie Vanilli who had the look but not the talent. One boy band was successful so the race was on to find another. And so it goes. Maybe in Canada it is the thousands of smaller communities separated by thousands of miles that force musicians to develop their own sound uninfluenced by other wanna be artists? Besides the traditionally inspired music of bands like Great Big Sea, east coast musicians in particular have a sound that is like no other. Without a word about the ocean or a fish, there is a maritime feel and unique sound. Perhaps like Jim Cuddy suggested in a recent interview, Canadiana is a sound that comes from the small town experiences as well as big city living. Maybe the purity comes from the relative peaceful existence of the people and the mosaic culture of the immigrants coming together to live on and with the harsh and vast landscape. Wherever you call home, I am sure you can relate this to singer-songwriters from your own country. Ireland comes to mind as one producing many gems! Thanks for sharing :)


"Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast
To soften rocks or bend a knotted oak"

 - William Congreve The Mourning Bride (1697) Act 1 Scene 1

Beyond the passion for the melody, there are other reasons to embrace the medium, as the often misquoted William Congreve stated music can soothe and calm the angered and frustrated soul. Consider the background music played at a funeral parlour, in an elevator, at a rally, at a sporting event, at the doctors office, in the mall. Music is selected for the audience and the intended reaction of that audience - do we want them excited or calm. What do we want to hear at a party? What is the choice for a romantic dinner for two? Increasingly, the medical profession is embracing the power of song to treat a myriad of mental and physical ailments. Everything from depression, addiction, stroke and Alzheimer's disease has seen beneficial effects with music therapy. Indeed this was recently well illustrated in the movie "The King's Speech" when King George VI experienced a lessened speech impediment when he put his words to music. The rhythm and sound of music illicit a primitive response that we have been reacting to since out time in the womb and afterwords with the pleasing coos of our parents and loved ones whispered in our ears. It has been proven that there are 20 areas of our brain that respond to music in both hemispheres - rhythm and lyrics on the left, melody and chords on the right. So if for example a stroke victim has lost the ability to speak which is a left brain function, she may be able to sing phrases for simple communication. People can learn to walk again using the rhythm of music - in fact, some music makes us instinctively move to the beat. The real trick lies in finding which piece of music works the best for which patient, it's all a matter of personal taste and experience. 

Now that you understand a little bit more about how music has impacted and influenced my life, you have an advantage over the traditional medical experts on how to bring me back - regardless of the diagnosis on paper. 

Play it again and Play it loud for it will speak to me!